Visitors to the Service/Property

We welcome and encourage visitors to all our properties/accommodation, but we understand that this has to be achieved within the context of protecting the interests and rights of everyone living and working within the property/accommodation;

There is a potentially wide range of people who may wish to visit and staff need to be vigilant when permitting visitors to enter, ensuring identification is always authenticated. If the visitor is unable to prove their identity, the registered person must be consulted and give approval before contact is permitted;

Visitors fall into several categories and can include social workers, parents/carers and relatives or friends, prospective employees, inspectors, neighbours or representatives of community/agency groups, workers, delivery drivers, meter readers and the like.

Any contact between a young person and their parents, siblings, relatives or friends should be consistent with arrangements outlined in the Individual Care Plan, and also as set out in Contact with Parents/Carers, Siblings and Others Procedure.

If parents or relatives arrive without prior agreement, staff should politely and sensitively explain that they cannot allow contact until the registered person /social worker has been consulted, and then consult the registered person. If there appear to be any immediate risks to the young person or others, staff should seek guidance and support from a manager or, in exceptional circumstances, the police.

Young people should be permitted to have friends to visit them in their accommodation, in line with the setting’s visitor policies. Staff should be skilled in understanding the range of influences that friendships can have and where appropriate, should encourage those with a positive impact and discourage those with a negative impact.

In most instances, young people should be allowed to receive visitors where they live. The registered person may (based on the needs of the young people accommodated in a particular setting and on assessed risks to the safety of young people and staff)—put arrangements or practices in place for having visitors to the accommodation. For example, some settings may choose to set rules around recording visitor ID, visiting hours, visitor-approved rooms within the setting, pre-approved visitors, the number of visitors at the setting at any given time, or visitors staying overnight at the setting. These practices and any associated policies should be reasonable, not excessive, and for the purposes of safeguarding all people in the setting. Any specific arrangements in place for a young person to receive visitors must be risk-assessed and in line with the young person’s relevant plans.

Before contractors are permitted to undertake work in the property, the registered person must ensure that they are properly briefed on the purpose and function of the Service, and that any parameters are agreed, preferably in writing e.g., which parts of the property they may access, safe management of tools/equipment, confirming the time with the young person and how long the work will take.

Visit should normally be planned in advance and agreed by the registered person or staff and young person. For social workers, please see Social Worker Visits Procedure.

Independent Visitors or Advocates who are likely to require unsupervised contact with a young person must firstly satisfy the registered person that they have up-to-date Enhanced Disclosure and Barring Service Checks.

Social workers, police officers and representatives of the Regulatory Authority will not be required to provide details of Disclosure and Barring Service Checks.

Should such visitors require unsupervised contact with a young person, this is acceptable, but they should not be alone with the young person in their bedrooms.

Staff and other young people not working/living at the property must be treated as visitors and must only be invited in by the young people who live in the property.

We are keen to establish good relationships with people in the community, maintaining an open and honest dialogue. Neighbours may visit for a variety of reasons, and often unannounced, when staff are present. Staff may need to support with these interaction if there are difficulties.

A Group Living home no matter how well supported is likely to have some degree of negative impact on its neighbours.

1. Where possible the locations of properties are chosen to ensure that any adverse impact on residents is minimised but, where this is not possible, physical measures are taken such as the erection of substantial fences or the double glazing of windows from which a noise nuisance might emanate;
2. The Service should discourage behaviour patterns which are likely to cause difficulties e.g. noisy activities or loud music in close proximity to neighbours' property;
3. In new locations, contact should be made with neighbours at the earliest opportunity and regular contact after that should be maintained. All efforts should be made to build up goodwill and understanding as they are of assistance if difficulties do arise;
4. Neighbours should be given practical advice on dealing with young people which might include not inviting them into their homes, not lending money or offering cigarettes, etc.

If an incident occurs, it must be taken seriously. All phone calls or visits should be dealt with calmly and politely, even if aggressive. A manager should call back as soon as possible and if possible; arrange a visit to the neighbour. If the neighbour wishes to make a complaint, the manager should refer to Complaints and Representations Policy.